Abstract
Many people enter higher education without the skills to be fully independent lifelong learners, especially on topical areas they are not very familiar with. Heutagogy, the study of self-determined learning, focuses on the development of “capable learners” who have the ability, competence, and self-efficacy to learn on their own. Heutagogy builds on the theory of double-loop learning, in which learners adjust their beliefs and values based on experience with tackling new problems. However, it is difficult to transfer learning to new circumstances and contexts, and even proficient self-determined learners may struggle in new domains, when familiar learning strategies may not be sufficient to develop new skills. In this chapter, we discuss the concept of triple-loop learning, in which people learn how to learn in new ways as they encounter new domains. We present illustrative examples based on thought experiments about learners across the spectrum of actual ability and self-efficacy in a new domain and discuss how educators might assist learners to become capable learners in their new domains.
We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn—Peter Drucker
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Exter, M., Ashby, I. (2021). Learning to Learn Lifelong Across Domains and Disciplines: Heutagogy and Movement Toward Triple-Loop Learning. In: Hokanson, B., Exter, M., Grincewicz, A., Schmidt, M., Tawfik, A.A. (eds) Learning: Design, Engagement and Definition. Educational Communications and Technology: Issues and Innovations. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85078-4_10
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